Chapter 154: Fallen Dragon Valley

At the moment Peleti entered the forest, Olivia had just placed the last reviewed document neatly at the corner of her desk.

She knew—Peleti would come.

To ensure she would have as much uninterrupted time as possible once Peleti arrived, ever since returning to the Elf Forest, Olivia had been handling her piled-up duties with near-harsh efficiency. Even her lessons with Caroline had been postponed repeatedly.

And now, all routine affairs for the next month had been completed.

Even if unexpected matters arose, she was already prepared to set them aside.

Nothing was more important than this moment.

This was time that belonged only to her and Peleti.

—

However, on her way to the tower, as her gaze swept across the bustling elven marketplace—

A familiar figure suddenly crashed into her sight.

The white-haired girl was crouching in front of a stall, her profile focused… and beside her stood that unmistakable Witch of Flame.

Her heartbeat skipped.

“Peleti! And… the Witch of Flame.”

Though both names were in the same sentence, the tone was clearly divided.

When she called the former, the slight tremor and brightness in her voice almost broke through her usual composure.

But when she mentioned the latter, her tone instantly returned to its usual polite, distant calm.

—

She clearly knows her name… so why suddenly use such a formal title?

And that “Peleti”… the emotion wrapped within it was far too complicated.

It was definitely more than just the joy of reunion.

How strange…

—

“You are…?” Peleti looked up, vaguely recognizing her as the elf she had met once in Falisa.

But she still didn’t know her name.

“Olivia,” the elf girl immediately replied, unconsciously stepping forward, her emerald eyes locking tightly onto Peleti.

“I failed to formally introduce myself before—that was my oversight.”

Her tone was deliberately steady, as if trying to suppress something that was nearly overflowing.

—

“You two know each other?” Judy looked between them, increasingly puzzled.

One gaze burned hot enough to melt winter snow, while the other carried obvious unfamiliarity—even a trace of subtle vigilance.

No matter how you looked at it, this wasn’t a simple acquaintance.

But… could two people who knew each other not even call each other by name?

—

“We’ve met,” Peleti explained. “Back then, Caroline brought Olivia to see me. But… it was just a brief encounter.”

“I see.” Judy nodded in realization.

If it was through Caroline, then it made sense.

Caroline’s current identity was anything but ordinary—she was officially the tutor of the elven princess, enjoying privileges within the royal family that exempted her from formalities and reporting. She didn’t need to bow, nor did she need to announce where she was going.

No one opposed this treatment—it was simply deemed necessary by Caroline herself.

—

“Miss Judy,” Olivia turned toward her, her tone now completely restored to official calm—as if that brief loss of composure earlier had never happened. “Your application submitted a week ago regarding entry into the Fallen Dragon Valley has been approved by the royal family. From this moment, you have three days to prepare and depart.”

“Please be mindful of the time limit.”

“Huh? That fast?!” Judy’s eyes widened in surprise.

In the past, similar applications often took two months to process.

And this one was approved in just a week?

Could it be… because of Caroline’s position as tutor?

Well, whatever—approval was what mattered!

“Then… Peleti, I won’t interrupt you two catching up!” Judy winked at Peleti, her face carrying a teasing “I get it” smile. Without waiting for a reply, she turned nimbly, squeezed into the crowd, and disappeared in moments.

—

Only Olivia and Peleti remained.

The noisy marketplace seemed to fade into the background, replaced by a subtle, delicate silence between them.

Olivia’s gaze settled on Peleti once more—its intensity and warmth making Peleti shift her eyes away uncomfortably.

—

“Fallen Dragon Valley… what kind of place is that?” Peleti asked, trying to break the silence, following the topic from earlier.

Judy’s excitement had made her curious.

“Do you know about dragons?” Olivia asked in return, her voice softening slightly.

Peleti nodded.

“Then it’s easier to explain.” Olivia gestured for her to follow, and the two walked side by side through the marketplace.

“It was once the glorious nest of the dragon race… until the Blood Witch, Masha, went berserk and stormed in alone.”

“In that battle, the dragon race was nearly slaughtered to extinction. The survivors had no choice but to abandon their homeland to preserve their bloodline. After a thousand years, what was once their royal city is now nothing but a vast, hollow ruin.”

“Later, the elves formed an alliance with the witches. That land—won personally by the Blood Witch—was naturally incorporated into elven territory and renamed the ‘Fallen Dragon Valley.’”

—

“If that land was conquered by a witch,” Peleti frowned, “why didn’t witches just settle there directly? At least they wouldn’t have to… live under the elves like now.”

Olivia’s steps slowed slightly. She turned her head to glance at Peleti, her expression complicated.

“That… is precisely the true origin of the name ‘Fallen Dragon Valley.’”

She spoke slowly.

“The Blood Witch cast an extremely vicious curse upon that land soaked in dragon blood: any living being that dies on the dragons’ homeland will have their soul eternally bound within their decaying body. No release. No reincarnation. And even their bodies cannot leave the valley.”

“A thousand years have passed… and that curse still lingers in the depths of the valley, completely undiminished.”

—

Peleti sucked in a sharp breath.

“Today’s Fallen Dragon Valley…” Olivia continued, her tone calm but every word chilling, “is filled with twisted soul-bound bone dragons and rotting dragons. Some have long lost all sanity after enduring endless suffering, leaving behind only madness and destruction. Others retain a trace of pitiful awareness, struggling within the curse—but unable to take even a single step out of the valley.”

“That place… is already a forbidden zone for all living beings, sealed under layers of magic.”

—

Peleti found it hard to believe.

Thinking back to Judy’s eager excitement, she had assumed it was some treasure-filled secret realm.

Who would have thought it was such a horrifying land of death?

What had the dragon race done back then to enrage Masha enough to cast such an eternal curse?

—

“You’re… worried about her?” Olivia suddenly stopped, turning to face Peleti.

Her gaze shot straight at her like a searchlight, her tone carrying a subtle, hard-to-detect nuance.

Peleti’s heart skipped. She instinctively avoided that overly direct stare.

“N-no… just curious why she’d go to such a dangerous place.”

“Heh…”

Olivia seemed to let out a faint hum. She resumed walking—and this time, very naturally, she reached out and grasped Peleti’s wrist.

The grip wasn’t tight, but it carried an unmistakable sense of not allowing refusal, guiding her forward.

“She’s done this kind of thing more than once. Don’t worry—she’s tough. She won’t die.”

—

The place where their skin touched felt slightly cool.

Peleti felt a bit uncomfortable, but she didn’t pull away.

Or rather… she didn’t dare to.

With precedents like Susanna and Feiye, Peleti didn’t dare gamble on whether Olivia’s mental state was normal.

—

“Then… the Blood Witch…” Peleti’s mind recalled the girl beside Lumen—the one with an innocent, radiant smile. Her voice unconsciously softened.

“Why would she place such a cruel curse on the dragons?”

That version of Masha… how could she do something so absolute and terrifying?

—

Olivia fell silent.

They passed through a quiet, shaded path, where only the soft rustling of footsteps could be heard.

After a long while, she finally spoke:

“Just as witches are the followers of the Elemental Gods… and elves are the followers of the God of Nature…”

“Dragons… are the followers of the God of Fate.”